This year’s focus was on finding solutions to plastic pollution, recognizing plastics as the largest, most harmful and persistent fraction of marine litter. Plastic pollution is not only affecting marine life and the ecosystems, according to the United Nations, but it is estimated that each person on the planet consumes and inhales more than 50,000 plastic particles per year.
We can make the difference, by avoiding the consumption of single-use plastics, using alternatives to plastics, and recycling all the plastic materials we use. At Vienna International School (VIS), Grade 1 is actively dedicated to this action, promoting the collection of plastic caps to recycle them. Supported by a local project led by Mr. Brey, the caps are collected for recycling and the money obtained this year by these efforts, will be used to plant trees around the world. Led by the students in Grade 1, this action has gone beyond the classroom and our school, motivating family and friends to take action in their own communities worldwide. Also to celebrate World Environment Day, the students in the Early Learning Centre engaged in developing awareness about the environment by constructing habitats reusing different materials. The Grade 4 Green Team also initiated an action to promote the reduction of food waste at school. Their project included finding a solution that would help Primary School to actively reduce food waste during lunch. The team, led by Ms. Maddy Peltier, developed a system to be implemented by the School Cafeteria in order to help the students identify the right portions to choose and avoid the waste. The Green Teams opened the Eco Store, selling products made by them during the past months, and using the earnings to plant trees around the world.
We invite our community to support these actions and engage with the children’s projects, efforts and aims to support the restoration of the planet!